Florida running back Gillislee named to Associated Press' All-SEC 1st team

Monday

Dec 3, 2012 at 12:01 AMDec 4, 2012 at 12:09 AM

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GAINESVILLE —Ł After almost being shut out in first-team selections on the preseason All-SEC teams, the Florida Gators scored big on the Associated Press All-SEC team that was released Monday. Six players from UF's 11-1 team are on the first team — tailback Mike Gillislee (a DeLand product), tight end Jordan Reed, defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd, safety Matt Elam, place-kicker Caleb Sturgis and punter Kyle Christy. The only other Gator on the AP team is sophomore cornerback Marcus Roberson, a second-team selection. In the two prominent preseason All-SEC teams (the SEC coaches' and the one by the media covering SEC Media Days), the only Gator to make the first team was Sturgis, who became UF's all-time field goal leader this season. The only offensive player on either preseason team was offensive tackle Xavier Nixon, who was on the third team. Floyd, Elam, defensive lineman Dominique Easley and return specialist Andre Debose were on the second team on the coaches' preseason team, while Elam was on the second team and Floyd, Easley, Debose and linebacker Jon Bostic were on the media's third team. Florida coach Will Muschamp just missed out on being named the AP coach of the year in the conference, getting edged out by Texas A&M's Kevin Sumlin. Muschamp and Sumlin also are among nine finalists for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award.

In this turnaround season for the Gators, numerous standout players emerged, led by Gillislee, who became the first UF player to rush for more than 1,000 yards since Ciatrick Fason in 2004. Johnny Football was named Mr. SEC. Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel was a unanimous choice for Associated Press Southeastern Conference offensive player of the year after a dynamic debut season in College Station. The charismatic redshirt freshman known as “Johnny Football” passed for 3,419 yards and 24 touchdowns, rushed for 1,181 yards and an SEC-leading 19 TDs, and guided the Aggies to a surprising 10-2 mark in their first SEC season, including an upset of No. 2 Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones edged out South Carolina's Jadeveon Clowney for the defensive player of the year award. Jones leads the conference with 22.5 tackles behind the line and ranks second to Clowney with 12.5 sacks. Manziel was an overwhelming choice as freshman of the year, in addition to being selected on all ballots as the first-team quarterback — not bad in a league that features the nation's two highest-rated passers: Alabama's A.J. McCarron and Georgia's Aaron Murray. “This season has been incredibly surreal,” Manziel said. “It's beyond my wildest imagination. It's a true testament to how this team has grown every week, because without these guys none of my individual success would be anything.” He is also considered a leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy, which will be awarded in New York on Saturday. Manziel has put up bigger numbers than former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, a landslide pick for the Heisman in 2010. No freshman has ever won college football's highest individual honor. “He's a tremendous competitor and a tremendous leader, and that's something that you really don't see in a player as a redshirt freshman,” Sumlin said. “His leadership on and off the field throughout the season has made our season a real successful one.” Like Manziel, Jones was a unanimous selection to the first team. The junior passed up a chance to enter the NFL draft and certainly helped his status with another big season between the hedges, even though the Georgia star missed a couple of games with nagging injuries. “There have been games this year where he has made a phenomenal amount of plays,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “The guy is probably one of the best defensive players in the country in terms of his playmaking ability. He's a really good rusher. He's physical. He's instinctive.” Jones had two sacks, one stop behind the line and forced a fumble in last Saturday's thrilling SEC championship game. Georgia had a shot to play for the national title, but they lost to Alabama 32-28. The Crimson Tide will face top-ranked Notre Dame for the BCS crown on Jan. 7. Five other players were unanimous picks for the first team: South Carolina's Clowney, cornerbacks Johnthan Banks of Mississippi State and Dee Milliner of Alabama, Arkansas receiver Cobi Hamilton, and Alabama center Barrett Jones. Texas A&M also landed four players on the first team after jumping from the Big 12 to the SEC along with Missouri. Two of the linemen who protected Manziel so well, Luke Joeckel and Jake Matthews, were selected by the voters, as was defensive end Damontre Moore. The rest of the first team included Georgia freshman running back Todd Gurley, receiver Jordan Matthews of Vanderbilt, all-purpose threat Cordarrelle Patterson of Tennessee, offensive lineman Gabe Jackson of Mississippi State, defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson of Missouri and a pair of LSU defensive standouts, linebacker Kevin Minter and safety Eric Reid. Barrett Jones, Jarvis Jones and Sturgis were the only repeat first-teamers from the AP's 2011 All-SEC team. LSU defensive end Sam Montgomery and Georgia safety Bacarri Rambo both slipped from the first team a year ago to the second team this season. Heading in the opposite direction were Jackson, Banks and Reid, all making the jump from second-teamers last year. Every school was represented by at least one player on the first or second teams except Auburn, which endured a winless season in the SEC and finished 3-9 overall. Coach Gene Chizik was fired after a blowout loss to Alabama, losing his job just two years after guiding the Tigers to a national championship. The 80th annual AP All-SEC team was selected by a panel comprised of 14 media members representing each of the expanded conference's 11 states.É